On Tuesday, February 3 beginning at 7:30 p.m., DCFC’s head honchos will participate in a “no holds barred” Q & A session, allowing fans to get the scoop on the upcoming season and the future of the team. A screening of the rousing WWII-set soccer classic Victory (1981) will follow after the Q & A. Tickets are just $5.

Sylvester Stallone (left) lost 40 lbs. to portray a POW-turned-goalkeeper. After dislocating his shoulder and breaking a couple of ribs during filming, Stallone declared the VICTORY shoot more difficult than that of ROCKY. Pelé (right) is considered by many to be the greatest soccer player ever, and probably barely broke a sweat.

Victory, directed by the great John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo, The African Queen) is the story of Allied POWs ordered to play in an exhibition soccer match against the German National Team. Devised to show German superiority, the match, to be staged in Nazi-occupied Paris, is sure to be fixed in the conquerors’ favor. But at the same time, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team’s escape. The Allied team captain John Colby (Michael Caine) is tasked with getting the POW squad into shape, and he initially balks at including American officer Robert Hatch (Sylvester Stallone) on the team, since the latter knows nothing of soccer. But Hatch is the necessary connection with the Resistance, and so he begins to learn goalkeeping.

Many of the Victory cast members also had to learn to play, while others were soccer players who had to learn to act. Real-life pros, both well-known and fairly obscure, appeared in the film, including Brazilian great Pelé (as a Trinidadian), and Bobby Moore, who was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. The goalie from that team, Gordon Banks, taught Stallone the basics.

The producers also wanted to include players from countries that had been occupied during WWII, thus some Norwegian, Dutch and Polish players joined the roster. The rest of the players were recruited from English’s Ipswich Town club.

The match scenes were shot at Stadion Hidegkuti Nándor, still the home ground of MTK Budapest FC. And Pelé and former Burnley player Les Shannon are credited with choreographing the game’s play.

All of this adds up to a really authentic-feeling soccer showdown between the underdog Allies and the arrogant Nazis, one that is regarded as a classic by footy fans and film buffs alike. Don’t miss this awesome mashup of soccer and cinema on Tuesday, February 3 at Cinema Detroit.

Victory plus Q & A with DCFC owners
Action, drama – PG – 116 min – Tickets $5 – Get tickets online
One night only – Tuesday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m.